Galaxy Fight: Universal Warriors
Virtual Console |genre=Fighting game |modes=Up to 2 players simultaneously |ratings= |platforms=Arcade, Neo Geo, PlayStation, Sega Saturn, Neo-Geo CD, PlayStation Network, Virtual Console |media= |requirements= |input=8-way Joystick, 4 buttons |arcade system=Neo Geo |display=Raster, 320 x 224 pixels (horizontal), 4096 colors }} , or simply , is a arcade fighting game originally developed and published by Sunsoft for the Neo-Geo MVS arcades. It was Sunsoft's second fighting game after their Super Famicom spin-off of their ''Hebereke series, Sugoi Hebereke, as well as their first side-viewed 2D fighting game. A year later in , Sunsoft produced another 2D fighting game also for the Neo-Geo titled Waku Waku 7. Two years after that, in , they joined a small company SANTACLAUS in producing the Sega ST-V powered arcade game Astra Super Stars. Plot A number of legends exist throughout the planets of our galaxy that say the Divine Being appears once every millennium. The time is upon us now, and many have converged on the Denius system to greet the Divine Being. Without this god of legend, all is dark and empty. His name is Felden Crais and he knows only one way of doing things. He is neither benevolent nor malevolent, but his power is omnipotent. No one mortal being is more powerful than he. Gameplay Galaxy Fight was Sunsoft's first approach into fighting games, and consequently the first game in the genre that the company released for the Neo Geo. Even as a prequel of sorts to Waku Waku 7 (which uses the same engine), the games have few things in common (one of them being the mid-boss, Bonus-Kun). The players choose one of eight characters and travel among the in-game solar system to defeat the opponents inhabiting each of the planets before they get the chance to fight Felden and settle their personal scores with him. The game uses a four-button layout where the first three buttons are used for non-specified striking attacks (they can be anything ranging from punches and kicks to tail whips and bites) with each specific button yielding different strengths of attacks. The fourth button is used specifically for taunts which has no purpose beyond annoying the opponent or showing off. Combining several buttons together may yield new attacks or special moves depending on the character. Galaxy Fight does not feature any extra bars other than the ones displaying the health of the character; considering the time, this could be seen as old school, because most other fighters released the same year used Super bars (e.g. The King of Fighters '95, Samurai Shodown III, Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors, and Street Fighter Alpha). One of the innovative features of this game is that there are no walls in the stages to corner players; instead, the screen can scroll indefinitely. This is an uncommon feature in 2D fighting games (other examples of this is Shuma-Gorath's stage in Marvel Super Heroes and all stages in Joy Mech Fight) and is usually more closely associated with the 3D Tekken series. Characters *'Alvan': Alvan is the "Prince of the Ruined Planet". His planet, Rozalis, was invaded and destroyed and his family was murdered by Felden 1000 years ago. Alvan managed to survive thanks to the magic crimsom stone and challenges Felden to save the life of the few living beings that still left in his planet. Alvan's family members live six or seven times more than the humans: 92-year old, he's only 12 in Earth years. The horn in his head is a characteristic of his family and it appears only when they are preparing to fight. Special moves: Al Blast, Al Fire, Al Slugger, Al Thunder, Super Alvan. *'Bonus Kun': Rouwe's own punching bag that has come to life. Rouwe has taught him basic fighting techniques. Bonus-Kun is a homage/parody of Ryu. In Galaxy Fight, he wears a red headband and his moves are limited to a small fireball and a headbutt. In his reappearance in Waku Waku 7, he is able to attack using his lower half and several adaptations of Ryu's techniques, but since he has no arms, he cannot block. *'Gunter': A gigantic green-skinned fire-breathing monster of immense power. Only he and Alvan appear to recognize G. Done's mystical nature. Gunter's fighting style is simple yet extremely violent. Throughout the course of his story, he speaks in broken English, though in his ending, he speaks fluently, as does his wife and young son. *'Felden': The final boss of the game (excluding Rouwe). He is a being composed of golden flame with a fiery blue crown. When facing Alvan, Felden reveals that he was the one who placed the curse on Alvan's planet. In every character's ending, Felden's body dissipates upon defeat, leaving only his blue flame and a disembodied voice behind, which soon extinguishes itself as well. Special moves: Abyss, Big Bang, Comet Crash, Elbow Drop, Haley's Heel, Kinetic Storm, Solar Flare, Solar Meteor. *'G. Done': Nobody knows much about this street thug character except for Alvin and Gunter, who can apparently sense his mystical nature. In his ending, after defeating Felden, Felden reveals to the player that Done is "another myself (sic)." Exactly what Done and Felden have is common is never revealed, however. Upon winning a match, the in-game announcer will announce him as "Golden Done." *'Juri': A female thief that is obsessed with becoming stronger and more beautiful, she despises those she considers ugly (which is pretty much everyone). Her ending reveals that her parents were murdered while she was still young, and several years later her lover and partner in crime betrayed her, thus giving her a drive to become both the toughest and prettiest warrior in the galaxy. Interestingly, upon winning a match, the in-game announcer will pronounce her name as "Julie." This is probably due to mistranslation, as the Japanese will usually substitute the letter L for R when writing English words, as "L" is not a naturally occurring sound in Japanese linguistics. *'Kazuma': "The Raging Storm" Kazuma travels with Rolf in his adventures throughout the galaxy, looking for powerful warriors, seeking to be stronger and continue with the tradition of the martial arts of his family. His father was murdered by Rouwe. Special moves: Blade Storm, Hurricane Destruction, Ninja Replicant, Ninja Death Tornado. *'Musafar': Musafar is a robot built by the Fakir Empire. His objective is to defeat all the warriors and get their weaknesses so that the Fakir Empire can take over the Galaxy. In his ending, Musafar suddenly turns against the Fakir Empire by destroying one of its spacecraft. He then takes off his helmet to reveal a humanoid face, claiming to have remembered everything. He was once a soldier that was captured by the Empire, converted into a war machine under their control. Now free from their control, he sets out to destroy the Empire. Interestingly, Musafar appears in Rolf's ending graphic, providing assistance to Rolf and Kazuma in a skirmish, implying that the three have joined forces. *'Rolf': The self-proclaimed "Hero of the Galaxy." He fights in a battle suit that resembles a 20th century space suit sans helmet, equipped with a short-range flamethrower, jetpack, small energy pistol, and an ear-mounted single-eye visor, similar to the Scouter devices featured by the Saiyans from Dragon Ball Z. He is brash and very confident, and likes to utilize his jetpack to pull off high-speed fighting techniques. As such he is the only playable character that is capable of performing a double-jump. He and Kazuma are allies, but still enjoy sparring against one another from time to time. In his ending, Rolf appears in a skirmish, fighting alongside Kazuma and Musafar. *'Roomi': Roomi's dream is to become popular, like Juri. During the course of the game, Rolf is commissioned by her father to bring her back home. In her ending, she becomes a singer that doubles as a fighter. Famous on her home planet before leaving on her journey. She senses her opponent's feelings before they strike, and has an in-game style that resembles Blanka and Felicia. *'Rouwe': A special boss that appears only if a player beats the game without losing a round. He was apparently responsible for the death of Kazuma's father. In his pre-fight taunt, he claims that the player "licked the young feller," most likely referring to the game's proper final boss, Felden, though what he means by "young" is unknown, as Felden is supposedly over 1000 years old. This may imply that Rouwe, while looking like an old man already, may possibly be much older than Felden. Special moves: Jarring Wrist, Oni Down, Oni's Fury, Oni's Rage, Oni's Wrath, Twin Oni's Seeking, Upper Solitude, Wind Storm. *'Yacopu': Yacopu is Rouwe's pet rabbit and the game's midboss, fought before Felden. He originated from the Nintendo Game Boy title, Trip World. He has the ability to shape-shift himself into whoever he fights against, providing a mirror match. While in his regular form, he can only be hit by crouching attacks while on the ground. Ports and related releases Galaxy Fight: Universal Warriors was later ported to the Neo-Geo AES home console, which includes easy-to-access difficulty settings and limited credits. Its next port was the Neo-Geo CD version, which was ported by Sunsoft and features some of the same features as the Neo-Geo AES version, but with arranged background music. This version was later ported to the Sega Saturn and released worldwide. Later, a perfectly decent Sony PlayStation port was released exclusively in Japan. In , the Neo-Geo CD version of Galaxy Fight: Universal Warriors was included with the Neo-Geo AES version of Sunsoft's other fighting game Waku Waku 7 in Vol.11 of the Neo Geo Online Collection series for the Sony PlayStation 2, titled . While the Neo-Geo CD soundtrack of Galaxy Fight: Universal Warriors was added in this version, the soundtrack of Waku Waku 7 is completely different from the unreleased Neo-Geo CD version that was later ported to the Sega Saturn. SNK was unable to add the Neo-Geo CD / Sega Saturn version of the soundtrack because of licensing issues. The Neo-Geo AES home console version of Galaxy Fight: Universal Warriors was later ported to the Wii Virtual Console in Japan by D4 Enterprise on March 23, 2010. Soundtrack A soundtrack album of the Neo-Geo version was released by Pony Canyon and Scitron Label on March 17, 1995 exclusively in Japan under the catalog number PCCB-00177. It contains nearly every background music, as well as sound effects and voice samples from the arcade version. It was composed by Masato Araikawa and Takayuki Sasaki, and performed by Jun Kojime. Sources * Galaxy Fight: Universal Warriors AES Manual External links * *ClassicGaming.com - Review *Kazuya's review of Galaxy fight at NeoGeoForLife.com Category:1995 video games Category:Arcade games Category:Neo-Geo games Category:PlayStation games Category:PlayStation Network games Category:Science fiction games Category:Sega Saturn games Category:Sunsoft games Category:Versus fighting games Category:Virtual Console games